Wall or partition



Sept. 19, 1933.

C.EJOHNSON WALL OR PARTITION Filed Feb. 13, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 C. E. JOHNSON WALL OR PARTITION Flled Feb 13, 1932 Sept.- 19, 1933.

Patented Sept. 19, 1933 WALL on PARTITION :I 1

Charles Edward Johnson, Chicago, Ill., assignor, ".120 The Vitrolite Company, a corporation-of w West Virginia Application February 13 5 Claims.

The present invention has for its object to produce a simple and novel sanitary wall or partition projecting outwardly from and supported entirely by a wall in a building, or other wall; whereby there will be no obstructioneither below or above the projecting wall orpartition- My invention is particularly applicable for use as partitions for toilet booths or other compartments as they leavethe floor underneath the same entirely unobstructed.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a core in the form of a rugged framework which projects outwardly from the supporting wall in the'manner of a cantilever, being suitably connectedto the supporting wall and suitably braced tohold it rigidly in place. The broad vertical faces of the core are then covered with a suitable sanitary sheathing and a heavy stile of opaque structural glass or other vitreous material is fastened over the front edge of the core; the stile being heavy and strong enough to permit a door tobe hung therefrom by suitable hinges. The sheathing on the broad faces is preferably in the form of suitable backing sheets or panels to which are cemented sheets or thin slabs of opaque structural glass or similar material.

The various featuresof novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, fora full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in'connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a wall of a room equipped to receive my improved walls or partion line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view similar tov Fig. 5, on a much larger scale, showing only fragments of theupper portion of the partition and fragments of the support elements in the main wall that do not appear in Fig. 5; Fig. .7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig.4, on the same scaleas Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the stile-supports. Y

In puttingup a building, or in preparing a building already completed, the walls along which booths or compartments are to be located are properly equipped to support the partitions or panels that form the side walls of the booths or compartments. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, where 1932. Serial No. 592,674,

(o1. az'a-is) the booths or compartmentsarelto bealong the wall A, upright-beams 1, 1 are mounted inthe wall in spaced relation to each other, the beams extending from the fioor B to the ceilingC .A g

comparatively heavy horizontal .beam 2 extends PATENT r across and is secured to the beams 1,1 at, about the height to which the tops of the booths or compartments come.

The partition walls are then hung from-this cross beam which is braced at each such partitionwall by a strut extending 'downfrom the same to the floor; one of these struts being indicated at 3 in Figs. 5-, and 6. v

The partition walls, which constitute 'canti levers when mounted on-;the,supporting .wall, are composed of'metalcores suitably sheathed. In the arrangement shown, each core is inthe formbf a hollow open-work structure-ofthe desired vertical height or depth, the desired length from front vto rear end. comparatively thin or, narrow The framework illustrated' -is composed.- of two square or rectangular side frames each formed of horizontal top and 'bottom members 4 and 5 'andtwo upright members .6 and {1, connected together and braced at the corners by means of gusset plates 8. Each of these frames is braced by diagonals 9 'and 10 each ex,- tending between and connected at its ends to two of the gusset plates in diagonally opposite corners. The members 4, 5 and 7 may be angle irons, whereas the front uprightfi is preferably a channel iron which serves as the front upright element of both of the frames. I prefer to thicken the partition wall toward the rear end, or .at which may be termed the base, so'that itp'will have a wide bearing surface and be held tothe not rock" or sway-laterally; At the rear the two sideframes are connected together at thetop and bottom by means of short angleirons 11 and 12. Extending over the top and bottom of the open'framework of the core are cover plates '13 supporting wall in such a manner that it cana and 14. r The length of the cover'plates isequal to the breadth of the frame from front to rear.

The width ofthe top cover plate isthe same at various points along its length as the correspending width of the core. The bottom cover plate, however, is muchwider-than the thickness of-the core so that it projects laterallybeyond each: side of the core as shown in Fig.7. The 1'1' The cores are completed in theshop or factory,

andafter they have been mounted in the positions whichthey are finally to occupy, they are suitably sheathed with an attractive sanitary material.

' It will be seen that the height of the core members is much less than the distance of the beam 2 from the floor so that, when the core obstructions to catch and harbor dirt and: germs bing processes.

The broad sides of each core maybe faced 'or sheathed in any suitable manner, preferably in a' manner to make the partition walls as sanita'ryasmay be; To thisend I prefentoproe .vide a facing of opaquestructural glass cementedt'o a suitable backingwhich is in turnsecured in any suitable way to-the core. In the arrangement'sho'wn, I place on'each side of the core a coveringin the formof apiece of wall board 17," secured in any suitable way. As best shown in Fig. 7 these wall board panels rjeston the bottom plate 14 and extend up past the top plate 13.

Sheets or thin slabs 18 of opaque structural glass or the like are then applied over the wall boards, being secured thereto by a layer 19 of cement and resting on the bottom plate 14;

The front/edge of each core must also be cov 'er'ed. Thisrnay conveniently be done by'means Cf farSti1B-Whl(h is rugged enough to permit a door to be hung therefrom; whereby the booths or compartments are closed at the front by means of doors supported wholly from the partition walls which'are in turn wholly supported by one of the walls of the building in which the booths or compartments are located. 'In the arrangement shown, each stile consists of a thick slab 20 of opaque structural glass or the like extending from the top to the bottom of the core and having a width considerably greater than the width of the front edge or face of the core. This slab is held in place by two clamping members, one at the top and one at the bottom. The construction of these clamping membersis best shown in Fig. '8. It will be seen that each clamping member consists of a trough 21 having midway between the ends a stem or shank 22 projecting therefrom in the plane of 'th'e'bottom wall of the trough; the adjacent side wallof the trough being cutaway for a distance equal to the width of this shank or stem. The width of the trough is slightly greater than the thickness of one of the stiles, so that the' ends of the stiles may beset into the troughs of the clamps.- Projecting into the trough from the bottom wall are a number of dowel pins 23that. enter holes 24 cut into the end edge faces ofthe stile. The shank or'stem of the clamp is provided with a 1 number of bolt holes 25. The stemof the upper clamp lies upon the top plate 13 and is secured thereto 7 by bolts 26 passing through the bolt holes 25. Similarly, the shank or. stem of the lower clamp underlies and is secured to thebottom platelet. I prefer to place on the top and bottom edges of the stile and in the holes 24 in the stile a thin layer 27 of; mastic compound. By this means each stile will be securely held and cannot wobble. As shown in Fig. 2, the space betweeneach stile and the next adjacent stile'is spanned by a door 28 hung from one of the stiles'by means of suitable hinges 29;- Y e In order to make the operation of facing the cores' after they have been mounted assimple as tied to the core'bysuitable wires; Thus, I have shown such wires 30 passing around the diagonal braces 9 and 10 and through the wall boards.

A few ties will suirlce, since the facingsbecome members are mounted on the supporting wall',;'i*v'ery stiff and rigid after the vitreous covering is they leave the space directly above the floor ene tirely free and clear. Consequently, it is an easy matter to keep the floorzclealr as there are no cemented thereto, and will remain in place when attached at a few points.

,After' the partition'shave been completed, the supporting; wall is plastered, as indicated at D,

and the sanitary panels or tiles E a'reapplied over the plaster, preferably by means of a layer.

F or cement interposed between the tiles andthe plaster. Thus, the metal beams and struts in the wall Aare covered andthe basesof the partitions' are,in effect, embedded in the supporting Wall.

It'will thus be seen that I have produceda I simple, novel and "rugged wall or partition-that may easily be set up, that remains firmly anchored and presents smooth faces that can easily be cl aned, and that requires no supporting member either above or below' 'the same outwardly from the supporting wall therefor.

While have illustrated and described with particularity only a'single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intendto coverall forms and '-arrangements' which come within the definitions of my invention constituting theappended-claims.

1."In combination, a support, a comparatively thin member in the form of a cantileverfof considerable vertical depth projecting from saidsu'pport, facings secured to and covering thebroad faces of said membenastile lyingin frontof the front edge of said member, and clamping elements projectin 'frorn the top and bottom of said memberinto holding engagement with-the upper and lower ends of said stile. 2. The combination with a wall of a room, of a cantilever structure in the form of a long, nar

row framework of considerable vertical depthprojecting from said wall at some distance above the floor of'the room, andiayers of facing ma-,

.terial. secured to and covering the broad faces of said framework and wholly supported thereby.

3. The combination with a, wall of a room, of

a comparatively thin member in the form 'of a cantilever of "considerable vertical depth promaterial covering and cemented tosaid backing panelsr V I 4. The combination with a wall of a room, of a comparativelythin member in the form of a cantilever of considerable vertical depth projecting from said wall'at-some distance above the floor of the room, backing panels secured to the broad faces of said member, vitreous facing material c'overingand cemented to said backing panels, a stile lying in front of the front edge of said member, and means securing the stile to said member. i

\ 5. The combination with a wall of a room, of a cantilever structure in the form of along nar row framework of considerable vertical depth, projecting from said wall at some distance above the iloor of the room, narrow ledges projecting I from opposite sides of saidstructure at thebot t-om'thereof, and facings covering the sides of said structure and resting on said ledges.

' CHARLES E. JOHNSON. 

